DOMINANT ANGLE
Berlin sees Trump's call to replace Zelensky as an electoral calculation linked to energy prices, recalling that the war comes from Russia and that the federal government is maintaining its sanctions.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Trump, in front of the White House: "I suggest they find themselves a new leader who can conclude an agreement" (FAZ, Tagesschau).
- 02
According to Axios, cited by FAZ, emissaries Witkoff and Kushner threatened Kyiv on Friday with a cut-off of American intelligence if the strikes on Russian refineries continued.
- 03
The FAZ reports that the federal government maintains sanctions against Russia and that an election in Ukraine is ruled out during wartime by the Constitution.
ANALYSIS
Berlin, October 11, 2026. The German press is extensively covering Donald Trump's statement, made on Saturday, October 10, in front of the White House. "I think it's time for Ukraine to have a new president," the US president said, before adding: "I suggest they find a new leader who can conclude an agreement." According to Tagesschau, he also claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky could have concluded many agreements but never did, "for some reason."
The FAZ and Tagesschau directly link this attack to the diesel agreement announced the day before with Vladimir Putin. Trump reproaches Kyiv for its strikes on Russian refineries, which would exacerbate the diesel shortage and penalize American farmers; Zelensky should stop them "damn it." Tagesschau notes that crude oil prices are at a record high due to the war against Iran. The FAZ believes that the US president "let it be seen" that his concerns were about energy prices, just over three weeks before the midterm elections. Its headline summarizes the reading: for Putin's diesel, Trump drops Zelensky again.
The Frankfurt daily also reports, according to the American website Axios and an anonymous Ukrainian negotiator, that the talks in Miami with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner ended earlier than expected. The emissaries would have threatened Kyiv, on Friday, with a cut in American intelligence if the strikes on the refineries continued. The FAZ recalls that a brief interruption had already occurred in the spring of 2025, after the scandal of Zelensky's visit to Washington.
The German media restore the context that Trump omits. Tagesschau emphasizes that he said nothing about Russian attacks on civilians, while at least 20 people were killed on Saturday in southeastern Ukraine. It recalls that the war was triggered by Russia over four years ago and that Putin has repeatedly rejected unconditional ceasefire offers. The FAZ specifies that a change in the head of state is not possible at present, as the Ukrainian Constitution prohibits elections in times of war.
The FAZ live blog finally notes that the federal government is maintaining sanctions against Russia, which puts Berlin at a distance from the temporary lifting decided in Washington.
